[Foundation-l] Report To The Board June & July 2008

[Chad]

On Sat, Aug 23, 2008 at 12:33 PM, Sue Gardner <sgardner at wikimedia.org> wrote:
> Hey folks - This is a particularly long report, since it covers both
> June & July. Enjoy :-)
>
> ...
>
> Report to the Wikimedia Board of Trustees
>
> Covering:       June & July 2008
> Prepared by:    Sue Gardner, Executive Director, Wikimedia Foundation
> Prepared for:   Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
>
> MY CURRENT PRIORITIES
>
> * Funders' Briefing preparations (including materials such as
> presentation, giving chart, annual report, etc.)
> * Developing funding proposals for several foundations
> * Orienting new fundraising team
> * Ongoing major donor solicitation and stewardship
> * Bits and pieces (Wikimania postmortem, office space revamp, launch of
> NomCom, etc.
>
> JUNE AND JULY
>
> == FINANCE ==
>
> Much of June was spent developing the Wikimedia Foundation's first-ever
> annual plan, covering the 2008-09 fiscal year (July 1, 2008 – June 30,
> 2009).
>
> Here is how the 08-09 annual plan was constructed:  In planning
> spending, we started with 07-08 historical spending information. We
> modified those numbers in consultation with the staff and the board,
> adjusting for increased costs due to anticipated project growth and
> other changes, and adjusting for underspending in the prior year.  We
> then approved new spending in key areas, consistent with our strategic
> goals.  Also this year, for the first time in the Foundation's history,
> we have set revenue targets for business development and fundraising.
> The business development targets were set by Kul in consultation with
> Véronique; the fundraising targets were set by Sue, Erik and Véronique.
>
> On June 29, the board voted to approve the plan, with this resolution:
> "RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby approves management's
> proposed 2008-2009 annual plan of $5.97 million of annual expenses,
> $7.33 million of annual operating revenues, and an annual operating
> reserve of $1.36 million. If during the year management anticipates the
> annual reserve will differ materially from the planned annual reserve,
> the Board directs management to consult the Board Treasurer promptly." A
> presentation summarizing the annual plan, including the budget, revenue
> targets, goals and hiring projections, can be found here:
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Finance_report. And there is a
> detailed FAQ here:
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/2008-2009_Annual_Plan_Questions_and_Answers
>
> At the end of June, at the request of Walter Vermeir, the board voted to
> approve an interim administrative procedure for looking after the Dexia
> account, currently maintained by Walter: "Whereas the Wikimedia
> Foundation seeks to improve the security and controls of transactions
> involving its Dexia Bank Account, the Board hereby approves the Interim
> Dexia Account Policy."  It was also agreed that a replacement for the
> Dexia account, to be maintained by staff of the Foundation, would be
> implemented before the end of December.
>
> Much of July was spent in preparations for the audit of the 2007-08
> financial statements, such as reconciliation of fixed assets.
>
> == HIRING ==
>
> Our fundraising team is now almost complete. The following new staff
> were hired in June and July:
> * Rebecca Handler, Head of Major Gifts (to begin August 4)
> * Rand Montoya, Head of Community Giving
> * Sara Crouse, Head of Partnerships and Foundation Relations
>
> We will also hire a Development Associate to support the team. Rand has
> begun this hiring process in July.
>
> Other important additions:
> * Frank Schulenburg is now on-board full-time as Head of Public
> Outreach, and we are helping him relocate to San Francisco.
> * Tomasz Finc has been hired as a full-time software developer, to begin
> work on August 4.
> * Michael Dale has started work in the San Francisco office on open
> source video editing tools. His work is sponsored by Kaltura.com.
> * Patti Melton is the new Personal Assistant to the Executive & Deputy
> Director; she started in mid-July.
>
> Staff names and photos, as well as an organization chart, can be found
> on the Wikimedia Foundation's staff page:
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Staff
>
> Job openings will continue to be advertised at:
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Job_openings
>
> == ALL-STAFF MEETING ==
>
> An all-staff meeting was staged in San Francisco on June 26 and 27.  Day
> One focused on orientation and getting to know each other, as well as a
> presentation by Sue of the 2008-09 annual plan. Day Two focused on
> 2008-09 goal-setting.  New staff members Rand Montoya (Head of Community
> Giving) and Rebecca Handler (Head of Major Gifts) attended all or parts
> of the meeting.  Erik Zachte, who will be working with the Foundation as
> data analyst starting September 1, and Domas Mituzas, Board member and a
> volunteer on the technical team, also made it to San Francisco and
> attended part of the meetings.
>
> == WIKIMANIA ==
>
> The fourth annual Wikimedia conference, Wikimania 2008, took place in
> Alexandria, Egypt from July 17 to 19. The venue, the new Library of
> Alexandria, was well-equipped to host the more than 650 attendees from
> around the world. Talks and workshops in up to five simultaneous tracks
> gave attendees from inside and outside the volunteer community new
> insights into the Wikimedia projects, other free knowledge efforts, and
> the challenges facing us.
>
> The conference received positive coverage in both Arabic language and
> world-wide media. Journalists James Gleick (the Wall Street Journal) and
> Noam Cohen (the New York Times) provided in-depth coverage from Egypt:
>
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121815517776622597.html
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/business/media/21link.html
> http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/wikipedia-goes-to-alexandria-home-of-other-great-reference-works/
>
> Arabic press clippings have been compiled by the Library:
> http://www.bibalex.org/isis/Frontend/News/Newspaper_archive.aspx
>
> Videos from the conference can be found online both on the Library's
> website, and on Kaltura's Wikimania video website:
>
> Library collection:
> http://webcast.bibalex.org/Home/List.aspx?Conference=6u0LkBzgNlZm+RzGhC/6Ag==
>
> Kaltura Video archive:
> http://www.kaltura.com/devwiki/index.php/Wikimania_Sessions
>
> More information about the conference can be found in our press release:
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Wikimedians_Prepare_for_Wikimania_2008
>
> And on the official Wikimania 2008 website:
> http://wikimania2008.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
>
> Thanks to everyone who made the conference a success. As in previous
> years, the Wikimedia Foundation and the chapters used the conference for
> organizational meetings and work. This included:
>
> * An Advisory Board meeting to discuss the Foundation's goals;
> * A regular Board meeting and a Board Q&A panel at the conference;
> * A  press conference (thanks to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, we could
> provide real-time translation from and to Arabic);
> * Various Staff and Board meetings with dignitaries and potential
> partners and supporters;
> * An ad hoc meeting of chapter representatives;
> * A presentation of the Foundation's goals & plans by the Executive and
> Deputy Director;
> * Various discussions, both on the program and off, between staff,
> board, and volunteers..
>
> A comprehensive postmortem of Wikimania is underway. Delphine has begun
> work on a survey soliciting input from attendees and speakers, and input
> has also been requested from the local planning team, the program
> committee, the scholarships team, the site selection jury and the staff
> of the Foundation. Results from a mini-survey given to the audience of
> the "Wikimedia 2008-09" talk will also be published.
>
> Wikimania 2009 will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and bids for
> Wikimania 2010 are currently open at:
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimania_2010/Bids
>
> === BOARD MEETING AT WIKIMANIA ===
>
> Key outcomes of the Board meeting at Wikimania include:
> * The Board has appointed Michael Snow as its new chair, replacing
> Florence Devouard, whose term expired and who chose not to run again.
> * The Board has officially appointed Ting Chen, who was elected to the
> seat formerly held by Florence.
> * The Board has approved the process for forming a Nominating Committee,
> which will begin a search process for the vacant appointed Board seats.
> * The Vice Chair of the Board, Jan-Bart de Vreede, will officially
> function as "whip" to ensure Board member attendance and participation
> in the work of the Board;
>
> Further details about the meetings will be published by the Board in its
> minutes and resolutions.
>
> == COMMUNICATIONS ==
>
> In July, Treasurer Stu West arranged for the Wikimedia Foundation to
> receive ongoing, free access to comScore Media Metrix internet audience
> measurement data.  This gives us access to a world of useful
> information, including reach, ranking and raw numbers such as unique
> visitors monthly. Jay is handling the comScore relationship on behalf of
> the staff.  Data and more information can be found at:
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Stu/comScore_data_on_Wikimedia
>
> In June and July, the Wikimedia Foundation participated in interviews
> with the following media organizations: the San Francisco Chronicle, the
> Washington Post, PR magazine, National Public Radio (Baltimore),
> Newsweek, the Toronto Star (Canada), The Age (Australia), the
> Municipalist (Washington DC), the Canadian Press, the Courier Post (New
> Jersey), Publico (Spain), Haaretz Business (Israel), the International
> Regional Magazine Association, the New York Times, the Houston Chronicle
> (Texas), NBC 6 (Florida), Hot Press magazine (Ireland), NBC News
> (Florida), BBC News, the Rockford Register Star (Illinois), Human Events
> (Washington DC), Fox Business News, Ideal TV (Brazil), Agence France
> Press, the Allen Town Morning Call (Pennsylvania), the Sunday Times
> (UK), the Los Angeles Times, Al Ahram Hebdo, al Yom Al Seoudya, Nesf El
> Donia, Al Alam Al Youm, Al Akhbar, Rose Al Youssef, Al Ahrar, Al Dostor,
> German public radio (Heidelberg), WNYC Radio, the IDG news service
> (Florida),  and the Baltimore Examiner (Maryland).
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_room/Media_Contact_2008
>
> Sue is now represented by The Lavin Agency for speaking engagements. Her
> fees will be paid to the Wikimedia Foundation.
>
> A first draft "messaging grid" was released to the staff to help in
> media and stakeholder communications.
>
> There have also been many blog posts by various staff members in June
> and July:
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2008/06/
> http://blog.wikimedia.org/2008/07/
>
> == LEGAL ==
>
> Work has continued on revisions to the privacy policy. The latest draft
> can be found at:
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Draft_Privacy_Policy_June_19_2008; the
> board will be voting on it soon.
>
> Mike has followed up on several cases of trademark infringements, with
> some now resolved. We have also prevailed in the Barbara Bauer court
> case, concerning her biography on Wikipedia.
>
> == PUBLIC OUTREACH ==
>
> On June 9, Frank started a qualification program to train senior
> citizens of the 50-plus age group as "Wikipedia trainers". The goal is
> to enable the participants to run their own Wikipedia workshops in
> Internet cafés for older people, in order to increase participation
> among older people, who are underrepresented in the
> Wikimedia Foundation's projects.  More information:
> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Trainers
>
> On June 20 and 21, Sue attended the Wikipedia Academy 2008 Berlin, which
> took place in the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities,
> with a focus on mathematics articles in Wikipedia. Photos can be found
> here: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Academy_Berlin_2008
>
> Frank has begun coordinating the production of a video tutorial about
> editing Wikipedia in collaboration with the German chapter. This video
> tutorial will be available in English.
>
> Work has continued on the first Wikimedia survey of readers and
> contributors, which has now been fully translated into 16 languages. We
> hope to launch the survey in September in cooperation with UNU-MERIT.
>
> == OFFICE ==
>
> As we continue to grow, our office set-up is rapidly approaching
> capacity. With the help of design firm Because We Can, we have now
> created several iterations of floor plans designed to optimize the
> current space. We are also beginning to explore longer-term options such
> as a radical overhaul of the current space, the possibility of accessing
> additional adjacent space, co-siting with like-minded organizations or
> renting satellite space.
>
> == TECHNOLOGY ==
>
> Due to the rapidly developing technical ecosystem of Wikimedia, this
> report only tries to present a high level snapshot. Details concerning
> software development can be found in the weekly Wikipedia signpost
> newsletter. The June reports begin here:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2008-06-02/Technology_report
>
> === FLAGGEDREVS ===
>
> The German experiment with the "FlaggedRevs" extension for edit review
> and patrolling continues. The feature allows regular contributors to
> review and flag changes made to Wikipedia articles, and to select the
> default version (most recent version, or most recent reviewed version)
> shown to readers. In July, the configuration on the German Wikipedia was
> changed to always show the most recent version, but this is not
> necessarily final: a poll was started to determine whether and how the
> feature should be used.
>
> The general availability of the feature to all Wikimedia communities was
> announced on June 4:
> http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/foundation-l/2008-June/043691.html
>
> This announcement included instructions for requesting the feature to be
> enabled. Several such requests have been entered into
> bugzilla.wikimedia.org, and will be processed in the coming weeks.
>
> The FlaggedRevs extension continues to be rapidly developed by Aaron
> Schulz (under contract with the Wikimedia Foundation), based on bug
> reports and enhancement requests. Some additional tools have been
> developed by volunteers, such as the FlaggedRevs statistics tool at:
> http://tools.wikimedia.de/~aka/cgi-bin/reviewcnt.cgi?lang=english
>
> Aaron has begun work on a "reader feedback" feature for FlaggedRevs to
> allow non-editing readers to rate articles. This widget will also plot
> graphs of the perceived quality development of an article over time.
>
> === OTHER ===
>
> * A new extension (TorBlock) has been installed, to regulate edits of
> Wikipedia through Tor, an anonymization network. Edits from unregistered
> users via Tor exit nodes are now blocked; and editors who are logged in
> via Tor are restricted until they have accumulated at least 100 edits.
> [Summary adapted from Wikipedia Signpost]
>
> * Many bugs affecting media playback using the Java-based Cortado player
> were fixed.
>
> * Double redirects are now fixed automatically.
>
> * New keywords __INDEX__ and __NOINDEX__ for including or excluding
> non-article pages in search engines were added.
>
> * New static HTML dumps of Wikipedia are available at:
> http://static.wikipedia.org/
>
> * Support for the Universal Edit Button extension has been enabled on
> all Wikimedia wikis.
>
> * We're bringing onboard additional technology contractors to work on
> specific projects.
>
> == FUNDRAISING & PARTNERSHIPS ==
>
> We've completed our transition to a new fundraising database, CiviCRM
> 2.0, consolidating two older databases. This database will be used to
> record our relationships with all donors, and to track all gifts. This
> was a major undertaking, and is a critical precondition to effectively
> conducting our fundraising work.
>
> On July 9, the Wikimedia Foundation received a donation of USD 262K from
> the Stanton Foundation, a private foundation created to further
> philanthropic goals set by the late Dr. Frank Stanton, a noted American
> broadcasting executive and longtime president of the CBS television
> network. The donation is intended to support the purchase of database
> servers, application servers, network equipment and other hardware.  The
> tech team has already begun to spend the money, and will begin to have
> the new hardware installed and operating in just a few months.
>
> On July 31, fundraising strategy firm Building Blox led a solicitation
> training workshop in the San Francisco office. It was attended by Board
> Chair Michael Snow, Treasurer Stu West, Jimmy Wales, Head of Major Gifts
> Rebecca Handler, and Head of Community Giving Rand Montoya. Of that
> group, it's expected that only Jimmy and Rebecca will directly ask for
> donations; the goal for Michael, Stu and Rand was primarily that they be
> able to support efforts by Jimmy, Rebecca, Sue and Erik, as required.
>
> Sara Crouse, Head of Partnerships and Foundation Relations, is working
> with Sue, Erik, Rebecca Handler (Head of Major Gifts) and Jay to plan
> and stage the Foundation's first-ever funders' briefings – informal
> events bringing together a few dozen current and potential financial
> supporters.  The goal of the briefings is to share and discuss the
> Wikimedia Foundation's key goals and plans.  We also hope to line up
> major donation commitments in advance of the online fundraiser which is
> planned to launch in late October.
>
> Sara, with Sue, Erik and Frank Schulenburg, is engaged in the
> development of several major funding proposals for foundations:
> * A proposal aimed at encouraging participation among technology-averse
> subject-matter experts: people who have a lot of knowledge to contribute
> to the projects, but who are currently dissuaded from contributing
> because they don't want to learn wiki syntax, and/or are experiencing
> other technical or social/cultural barriers to participation.
> * A proposal aimed at growing the Arabic-language Wikipedia and the
> Arabic-language Wikimedia community.
> * A proposal aimed at building technical interfaces among wiki communities.
> * A proposal aimed at staging an international slate of Wikipedia Academies.
>
> == OTHER BOARD RESOLUTIONS ==
>
> On June 22, the board approved this resolution: "It is hereby resolved
> that the board of Trustees of Wikimedia Foundation approves the Duty
> Entertainment Guidelines policy," which can be found here:
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolution:_Duty_Entertainment_Guidelines_Policy
>
> On June 29, the board approved this resolution: "It is hereby resolved
> that the board of Trustees of Wikimedia Foundation approves the
> Pluralism, Internationalism and Diversity policy," which can be found
> here:
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Pluralism,_Internationalism,_and_Diversity_Policy
>
> On July 28, Board Chair Michael Snow sent an announcement to the
> foundation-l mailing list regarding the Nominating Committee, the body
> which will help the "community representative" board members fill the
> four seats on the board dedicated to specific skills and expertise.
> Michael laid out a proposed process for the work of the Nominating
> Committee, with the goal of having the seats filled by January.  He also
> asked for community volunteers to sit on the committee:
> http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/foundation-l/2008-July/044915.html
>
> == COMING ==
>
> Mike is creating a new version of the Gift Policy:
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Gift_Policy.
> The current version is a mix of policy-level material (guiding
> principles, etc.) and procedures-level material (e.g., requirements for
> acknowledgment "within two days of receipt"). The goal with the new
> version is to remove procedures-level material from the policy, and
> ensure that the remaining material is clear and understandable,
> and accurately reflects the Foundation's intent and practice.
>
> A first version of the first-ever Wikimedia Foundation annual report
> will be released in September. This version will not include the 2007-08
> financial statements. The report will be re-released including the
> financial statements, once the audit is finished.
>
> The open source wiki-to-PDF technology developed with PediaPress.com
> will be rolled out, initially on Wikimedia Labs, followed by Wikibooks
> and other Wikimedia projects.
>
> The reader feedback module for the FlaggedRevs extension will be tested
> on Wikimedia Labs.
>
> Three new technology positions will be advertised: a mid-level software
> developer, an entry-level developer / IT suppport specialist, and a
> system administrator.
>
> The Wikimania postmortem will be completed.
>
> The Board will vote on Mike's new version of the privacy policy.
>
> --
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Sue Gardner
> Executive Director
> Wikimedia Foundation
>
> 415 839 6885 office
> 415 816 9967 cell
>
> Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in
> the sum of all knowledge. Help us make it a reality!
> http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Donate
>
>
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>

Thanks Sue for the detailed report. Looks like everyone's been really
busy recently. Thanks to all for your tireless work and often thankless
dedication.

-Chad